"NAMELESS," by Jennifer Jenkins, Month9Books, $14.99, 336 pages (f) (ages 13 and up)
Teenager Zo, of the Wolf Clan, volunteers for a suicide mission to infiltrate the warrior Ram Clan and gather information on the movements of their army. All goes as planned until Zo discovers her younger sister has followed her to the Rams Gate. Now, Zo cannot make the sacrifices she is prepared to make and protect her sister, too. Unlikely alliances and friendships are made while Zo and Tess attempt to escape a seemingly inescapable fate in local author Jennifer Jenkins debut novel, Nameless, the first in a young adult, speculative fiction trilogy.
To continue carrying out the spy mission for the allied Wolf, Raven and Kodiak clans, Zo and Tess disguise themselves as members of the Kodiak Clan, as it is Ram policy to kill anyone from the Wolf Clan on sight.
Zo and Tess are accepted into the community and become a part of the nameless, the class of servants occupying Rams Gate. To complicate matters, Zo, who is also a healer, helped a Ram soldier, who has found himself falling for Zo and she for him as she tried to keep her true identity a secret and help her clan.
Jenkins weaves a story of friendship and betrayal with the right amount of romance to make this an unforgettable adventure. Jenkins bases the Rams' culture and war tactics on ancient Sparta, each war scene rings true, the characters are relatable and their conflicts real. "Nameless" is packed with plenty of page-turning action.
Because of the nature of the Ram Clan there is quite a bit of described violence, including war scenes and an attempted sexual assault that Jenkins keeps to what would be about a PG rating. There is also some mild profanity from warriors.
Jenkins is a member of Writers Cubed and a co-founder of the Teen Author Book Camp that is held annually.
Teenager Zo, of the Wolf Clan, volunteers for a suicide mission to infiltrate the warrior Ram Clan and gather information on the movements of their army. All goes as planned until Zo discovers her younger sister has followed her to the Rams Gate. Now, Zo cannot make the sacrifices she is prepared to make and protect her sister, too. Unlikely alliances and friendships are made while Zo and Tess attempt to escape a seemingly inescapable fate in local author Jennifer Jenkins debut novel, Nameless, the first in a young adult, speculative fiction trilogy.
To continue carrying out the spy mission for the allied Wolf, Raven and Kodiak clans, Zo and Tess disguise themselves as members of the Kodiak Clan, as it is Ram policy to kill anyone from the Wolf Clan on sight.
Zo and Tess are accepted into the community and become a part of the nameless, the class of servants occupying Rams Gate. To complicate matters, Zo, who is also a healer, helped a Ram soldier, who has found himself falling for Zo and she for him as she tried to keep her true identity a secret and help her clan.
Jenkins weaves a story of friendship and betrayal with the right amount of romance to make this an unforgettable adventure. Jenkins bases the Rams' culture and war tactics on ancient Sparta, each war scene rings true, the characters are relatable and their conflicts real. "Nameless" is packed with plenty of page-turning action.
Because of the nature of the Ram Clan there is quite a bit of described violence, including war scenes and an attempted sexual assault that Jenkins keeps to what would be about a PG rating. There is also some mild profanity from warriors.
Jenkins is a member of Writers Cubed and a co-founder of the Teen Author Book Camp that is held annually.
